Throughout his 19-year pro wrestling career, Drew McIntyre has battled against some of the best wrestlers in the entire industry. Be it in WWE on elsewhere, McIntyre has always competed at an elite level and shared the ring with talented performers from all over the globe. He did go through a downward spiral at the end of his first WWE run, but McIntyre persevered through the struggles to make a name for himself and return to the same company to take his place in the main event scene.
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McIntyre has been part of several critically acclaimed matches over the years, and with that said, let's take a look at ten of his best matches, as ranked by Dave Meltzer.
10 Vs. Mike Bailey (PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2015, Night 2) - 4.25*
Following his release from WWE in 2014, Drew McIntyre started competing in the independent circuit, and one of his destinations was Pro Wrestling Guerilla. He made his debut for the company as a contestant in the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles tournament.
He competed against Mike Bailey in the first round of the tournament on Night 2, and the two wrestlers put on a great performance that lasted 17:48 minutes. McIntyre took Bailey down with a Tombstone Piledriver for a near fall, but in the end, as he went for a Future Shock DDT, Bailey reversed it into a roll-up pin to get the win.
9 World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber (Elimination Chamber 2011) - 4.25*
During his first run in WWE, Drew McIntyre received his first shot at the World Heavyweight Championship when he qualified to compete for the title inside the Elimination Chamber at the titular PPV in 2011.
He went against champion Edge, Rey Mysterio, Kane, The Big Show, and Wade Barrett inside the dangerous structure. McIntyre was the fifth contestant to enter the match and looked to get his hands on the big gold belt, but couldn't get the job done as he got eliminated by Kane after taking a Chokeslam.
8 Vs. Sheamus (Raw, March 1, 2021) - 4.25*
McIntyre started a rivalry with Sheamus after the 2021 Royal Rumble PPV. After McIntyre lost the WWE Championship to The Miz at the year's Elimination Chamber PPV, he continued his feud with Sheamus, resulting in a match between the two on the March 1, 2021, episode of Raw.
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They competed in the opening contest of the night, and the match lasted an impressive 22:50 minutes. In the end, as Sheamus prepared to deliver the Brogue Kick, McIntyre quickly hit him with a Claymore to get the win.
7 Vs. Sheamus (SmackDown, July 29, 2022) - 4.25*
Drew McIntyre rekindled his old rivalry with Sheamus in July 2022, which led to a match between them on the July 29, 2022, episode of SmackDown. It was a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match, with no count outs, no disqualifications, with the condition that McIntyre couldn't use his sword.
The match was to determine the No.1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and they once again put on a scintillating performance and battled for 25:30 minutes. Sheamus used a shillelagh to hit McIntyre with the ten chest shots, but the latter retaliated and drove Sheamus into the props at ringside. Despite Butch trying to interfere, McIntyre delivered a Claymore on Sheamus to get the pin and book his ticket to Clash at the Castle.
6 W/ Baron Corbin & Bobby Lashley Vs.The Shield (Fastlane 2019) - 4.50*
Drew McIntyre partnered with Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley in a feud against The Shield, leading to a match between the two teams at the 2019 Fastlane PPV.
It was The Shield's last match together in a WWE PPV, and they looked to go out in style by dominating the heel team of McIntyre, Corbin, and Lashley. They competed in the main event of the PPV and battled for 24:50 minutes. After a back-and-forth contest, The Shield performed their signature Triple Power Bomb on McIntyre through the announcers' table, before hitting Corbin with the same move inside the ring to get the victory.
5 W/ RK-Bro Vs. The Bloodline (WrestleMania Backlash 2022) - 4.50*
The SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The Usos, were scheduled to take on the Raw Tag Team Champions Randy Orton and Matt Riddle in a winner takes all unification match at the 2022 WrestleMania Backlash PPV. However, after Roman Reigns interfered during the contract signing segment and attacked RK-Bro, Drew McIntyre came to the latter's defense. As a result, WWE booked a 6-man tag team match between The Bloodline and McIntyre & RK-Bro for the event instead of the unification match.
McIntyre had Reigns down early in the match with a Claymore, and as the action continued, The Bloodline got the upper hand after Reigns took McIntyre out with an Uranage Slam. In the end, while Reigns was the legal contestant, Riddle performed an RKO on Jey Uso from the top rope, only to eat a Spear from Reigns for the pinfall.
4 Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Money In The Bank 2019) - 4.50*
Drew McIntyre became one of the participants in the 2019 men's Money in the Bank Ladder match and went up against Mustafa Ali, Baron Corbin, Andrade, Finn Balor, Randy Orton, and Ricochet. As Sami Zayn got taken out of the match, his place remained vacant, and a replacement contestant didn't enter the match at first.
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McIntyre delivered a strong performance in the match and used his strength in an effort to overcome his opponents. In the closing moments, McIntyre pulled a large ladder from under the ring and bridged it between the apron and the announcers' table before slamming Ali onto it. He tossed Ricochet over the top rope onto the bridged ladder and broke it in half. As he tried to scale the ladder, he got caught with an RKO from Orton, and before he could realize it, surprise entrant Brock Lesnar had retrieved the briefcase.
3 10-Man Tag Team Match (WrestleCon SuperShow 2017) - 4.50*
Following his exit from Impact Wrestling in February 2017, McIntyre competed at that year's WrestleCon SuperShow in Orlando, Florida. He teamed up with Lio Rush, Marty Scurll, Ryan Smile, and Will Ospreay to take on AR Fox, Dezmond Xavier, Jason Cade, Ricochet, and Sami Callihan in a 10-man tag team match.
The two teams competed in a back-and-forth match that lasted 22:05 minutes, which saw them take each other out with Stunners and Canadian Destroyers. The crowd was really into this match and even threw money inside the ring. McIntyre did his best to give his team the advantage but was unsuccessful as the opponents walked away with the win.
2 W/ Dolph Ziggler Vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell 2018) - 4.50*
Following The Shield's reunion in 2018, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose challenged Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler for the Raw Tag Team Championship at Hell in a Cell 2018.
They competed in the longest match of the night and battled for an impressive 24:53 minutes. After a series of back-and-forth action, Seth Rollins had Dolph Ziggler right where he wanted and tried to deliver his Superplex and Falcon Arrow combination. But Drew McIntyre came back into the ring at the right time and hit Rollins with a Claymore, allowing Ziggler to fall on top of Rollins to score the pinfall.
1 Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Money In The Bank 2021) - 4.75*
Drew McIntyre failed to qualify for the 2021 men's Money in the Bank Ladder match after he lost to Matt Riddle in the qualifying match. However, he won a last-chance match to get his spot in the high-profile contest.
At the event, McIntyre looked to get back into the world title picture by retrieving the briefcase. But he got screwed out of the match by Jinder Mahal and his associates Shanky and Veer and got dragged back to the backstage area.
